Myrna's Baptism

Yesterday morning at Christ Church in Seattle (where I was baptized, as well) Myrna was baptized by the Rev. Steve Garratt and the Rev. Allan Parker (my grandfather). She wore a streaming white gown that her mother had also worn for her baptism, and which has now been worn by five generations of eldest daughters. We had an unbelievable showing of friends and family, leaving no question that Myrna is loved and supported. And she landed herself a solid trio of Godparents in Abigail Fowler, Grace Telcs (who flew up from Berkeley, CA), and her uncle Daniel Burkhalter (who journeyed all the way from Champaign, IL). We were glad to see everybody, and are sincerely greatful that so many people were there.
Last night after we'd returned home we uploaded a bunch of pictures (mostly taken by Kelly's dad and Aaron) to our Picasa site. The full run can be viewed here, and other recent non-baptismal pictures live here.

In Berkeley

We are still settling into our new digs in Berkeley. Jetlag has subsided (or at least I think it has, but since we still get up in the middle of the night, this concept of time-zones doesn't have much meaning). Myrna can tell you all about our block - as she has multiple walks around it with her dad each day (read: she is upset and needs to be taken outside). Lucky for us the weather has been great for such excursions. I am getting back into the swing of work, and am surrounding myself with lots of math excitement. We are enjoying the finer American products - like 6 different kinds of cereal (which we are almost out of), gallons of ice-cream in our full-size refrigerator, IPA, and the gigantic jar of salsa that we have consumed in the last week.
Myrna is a different person every few days. She now likes sitting up (with back support, and as long as she is not upset) and joining in with the conversation. She's met lots of new friends on her walks and out in cafes. She also is a drool machine, soaking up her outfit within minutes of it being dry. And her favorite new challenge is standing (again with support).
We also finally got a March Picasa page going for all her fans!